poemsbyninotaziz: March 2013

A break

Dear friends,

It has been a lovely experience, renewing acquaintances and meeting new friends over the poetry blogosphere. The year 2013 was predicted to be a busy and hopefully fruitful year for those under the Snake sign of the Chinese Calendar.

Well, it looks like I have a bit more than I can chew at the moment. I am currently working on two books entitled SITI and RATU which I hope to finish by September this year. At the same time, I must finish Inheritance From The Garden, a book I am co-writing with a dear friend and longstanding expert on gardening, Mr Lam Peng Sam. In June, I will also be attending the International Congress of Asian Folklores in Indonesia and hope to deliver a paper on NAGA.

I will be working with my international publisher XLibris in the coming months to promote NAGA on a more aggressive nature. And with my local publisher Utusan Publishers to finish my latest anthology of Asian legends and folklores, 366 Legends of Asia.

And that covers my partime hobby - writing!

Professionally, I run TiE Malaysia, an NGO that promotes entrepreneurship in Malaysia. We work with the government on coaching young start-ups and hope to match them with Angel investors to take their businesses to the next level. Our programs are going into high gear next month.

Well, that covers my professional life.

I have also decided to go back to school! I will be doing my thesis for my Masters in Malay Lit this year.

I thank God everyday for my beautiful family and my five daughters, not to mention husband and best friend, and three lovely Siamese cats all of whom requires my devoted attention.

So I am taking a break. I look forward to peep and have a look at how all of you are doing form time to time. But just in case you were wondering, at least you know why I suddenly disappeared - for a while.

Loves

Ninot

three friends

confused

love takes free flight

downward spiral, high tail

fear, anger, a validity

goodbye

________________________

written for magpie tales

Hands touch

daughters

a miracle

of laughter and light

heart turns at every breathe she takes

my life

letters

from faraway

another time and place

arrived late, it was truly fate

timely

hands touch

moment captured

the whole world disappears

is this my serendipity

joy luck

my life. timely. joy luck.

ma fille

à sa naissance

oui, le monde disparaît

mon sérendipité, le mien

ma vie

_______________________________

I reread a letter my mother sent to me when I was eighteen today.
A poem dedicated to mothers and daughters
For dVerse, hosted by Tony Maude and Poets United

Les chansons d'autrefois

the songs from long ago

a moment in time

dredge up a plethora

of emotions, unbeckoned

an era, long gone

its mistakes linger over the Rideau

its sweetness, unbearable.

***

les chansons d'autrefois
très intime, pourquoi
le soleil est si froid

je pleure un peu, par le Rideau

_________________________________________

A few days ago, Gretchen reminded us of the power of music to influence our innermost thoughts.

This is what I felt listening to Rainbow's Street of Dreams and Led Zeppelin's All of My Love over the last few days in my head. My staple music back then - Scorpion, Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, and Depeche Mode. And Eurythmics. With momentary enrapture over Eight Seconds, Level 42, Pet Shop Boys and yes - Duran Duran.

For dVerse's Open Link Night.

After visiting Bjorn's Vampire Night, I am shocked I forgot to include Sting right at the top of the list.

Playing Mad Libs with Sherry Blue Sky

Safe and in seclusion

the life of the elusive llama

like monks in the mountains

we ponder

meditate upon

so much destruction

time to reflect

is to forgive enough?

the beautiful life

transcendent

inspiring humanity

compassion

gratitude resides
in the corner

of my heart

no longer in retreat

Words by Sherry and ninotaziz

_____________________________

Brian, I answered your call over at dVerse.

Sherry over at Stardreaming with Sherry Blue Sky and on the hardworking team of Poets United is convalenscing from surgery. But she responded to my call of words. Do drop by her blog to cheer her up. Actually, she most likely will end up cheering you. That's just the kind of person she is!

Her words for me

Llama , monk

Meditate , reflect , forgive

Beautiful, transcendent, inspiring

Corner, retreat

Sherry in Canada, me in Malaysia - now that's a cross Pacific collaboration, for sure!

Childhood Place

www.alexwisephotography.net

I am an island girl

For wherever I put

My two feet on the earth

I am surrounded by water

And my spirit is free...

ninot, 10th September 1991

On the rooftops

Dreams soar

Across time

Through unknown doors

I see a cat

In a forgotten town

Why is he sad

Why does he frown

My hand reaches out

In it, a fiddle

Do not doubt

Fantasy's miracle

My cat smiles

He dances a tune

After a while

He sings to the moon...

ninot, 10th august 1991

A song from my childhood

Flirts around with me

And little does it know

It hurts terribly...

ninot, 10th June 1988

I vaguely remember curtains with Degas ballerinas

in my childhood...but how can that be?

___________________________________

These are mymemories from my childhood in Hobart, Tasmania.

Old old poems - yes I have been writing for so long, I have poetry 20 to 30 years old. I am no longer that girl whose dreams soar through unknown doors. Or, am I?

Thank you Pamela for the prompt at dVerse that took me back in time and Tess Kincaid at Magpietales who reminds me of the beaches of my childhood.

The night is borderless

the night is borderless, I give myself

to the moment, of truth, of love, of joy

my ledger is poor but I know real wealth

the sunbreak appears, there is no void

and my cup of happiness overflows

I embrace the real life, not the decoy

the evening wanes, there is no more sorrow

for both the bitter and sweet make me whole

I await the promise of tomorrow

for I have learnt to love body and soul

to be thankful for family, for health

and how love brings me into its true fold

the night is borderless, I give myself

to the moment - and accept nothing less.

la nuit est sans frontière
et je me donne du bonheur

______________________________________

an ode to a moment of joy

Wow, I had this ready and was waiting for Brian's OLN link to come up on dVerse. I missed my 5.00am writing hour this morning and bang – there’s 110 poems posted! Anyway, I am writing about the joy of having come halfway through life – mundane stuff – that really turned out to be the best thing for me as a woman, a writer, a mother, daughter, a wife, an ex-wife, sister, a friend, a sisterhood, corporate figure – and now back to being a student (doing my Masters in Malay Lit)!

I love being a woman, and hope our daughters achieve all their dreams and more.

Heritage is too precious, and I do my best to leave something behind.
Don’t we all….

And dear Kim, what serendipity. I hope you see this - The Cure is

L O V E

Living the life we have with passion.